Elk season not disappointing in Northern Michigan

Tuesday

Dec 11, 2012 at 11:14 PMDec 11, 2012 at 11:17 PM

This elk season, the second of the 2012 hunting season, runs through Dec. 16. A total of 100 tags are issued for this nine-day hunt, 30 of which are for either sex. The other 70 can only be used on an antlerless elk. So far, a total of 62 tags have been filled and checked by DNR staff.

Mark Spencley

By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.comCHEBOYGAN — The winter installment of Elk season is well underway and so far it hasn't disappointed."Its going pretty well," said Brian Mastenbrook, Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist who runs the elk check station in Atlanta. "For four days into the season, we've had lots of elk a some nice bulls checked in."This elk season, the second of the 2012 hunting season, runs through Dec. 16. A total of 100 tags are issued for this nine-day hunt, 30 of which are for either sex. The other 70 can only be used on an antlerless elk. So far, a total of 62 tags have been filled and checked by DNR staff.Hunters fortunate enough to be drawn for bull elk tag have faired well since the snow fell during the weekend."We've had some nice bulls come in," Mastenbrook added. "A lot of 6x6 and 5x5 bulls have been shot. We had a 9x8 also. The snow really helped. You can see where the elk are moving."The winter hunting seasons differ considerably from the late summer/early fall hunts. By the time December rolls around, the elk breeding period has come and gone. With winter fast approaching, this large animals focus much of their time on feeding to build up fat stores before the cold and snow descend.Instead of using calls and decoys to take advantage of elk breeding instincts, winter elk hunters rely heavily on covering lots of territory to turn up elk feeding grounds."Its actually easier to kill an elk in the winter," Mastenbrook explained. "In the fall the bulls are with large groups of cows, so all the elk are concentrated. Those groups have broken up or are breaking up, so the elk are more dispersed. That makes it easier to find one."In most years, 85-90 percent of hunters drawn for an elk permits are successful in taking an elk. Those odds look be about that same this year. Many of these elk are harvested on public land."A few more will be taken on state land," Mastenbrook noted. "That was the case last year and it looks like that will be the case this year too."Regardless of the location, the opportunity this elk season is outstanding."We have more elk than we did last year, so we can offer more hunting opportunity while working toward our population goal," said DNR deer and elk program leader Brent Rudolph.The elk herd is under a tight management plan to ensure its future sustainability. Elk were nearly wiped off the Michigan landscape in the mid 1870s. It wasn't until almost 50 years later, in 1918, that elk were reintroduced in Cheboygan County. The seven animals released near Wolverine have flourished into a herd of more than 1,200.